


Stealing Alec Lightwood

by Randallion



Series: the dark star and the supernova [1]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec and Simon bond over archery, Clary's temper makes an appearance, Gen, Jace is jealous of their bro time, Parabatai, again for like one sentence, background clace, but only for like one sentence, concerned!Jace, he is platonically possessive over Alec, hurt!Alec, jalec bromance, simon/alec bromance, there is a dash of malec at the end if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 19:39:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4932712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Randallion/pseuds/Randallion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jace cannot remember how this little bromance started. Simon asked Alec to train him, understandably, because he didn't really have a relationship with Alec before he lost his memories and he still doesn't remember anyone else apart from what they have told him, so it was the obvious option. But then they started getting dinner together after training, and Alec even went hunting with Simon. Alone. Alec never goes hunting without Jace and that's when Jace decides that he wants this little friendship to be obliterated from existence. </p><p>Basically in which Alec and Simon bond and Jace hates it with a passion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stealing Alec Lightwood

Jace didn't really notice it at first. He was so invested in training Clary that everything else blurred into the background, that always happened when his little red head was around. Even though Clary basically saved the entire world, the Clave said that she still had to undergo basic training. Her power was useful and she had control over it, but her fighting skills needed improvement. Simon's ascension was successful, and he also needed training.

Everyone was surprised when he asked Alec to train him over dinner one night, and Isabelle was so upset that she stormed out of the room. Logically it made sense. Simon only had limited memories of everything that had happened, and they were not coming back quickly. Both Clary and Isabelle got upset when they were around him for too long, because they would make a reference to the past and Simon wouldn't understand. One time, Clary had mentioned a music festival that the pair had stayed at all weekend, just a few weeks before they met the Lightwoods in pandemonium, Clary had said more than once that it was the best weekend of her life. Simon didn't remember, and Clary was so devastated that she didn't leave her room for the rest of the night. It also upset Simon, because he so desperately wanted his memories back. He knew Clary was his best friend, and he knew that he loved Isabelle, he just couldn't remember why.

Alec and Simon didn't have memories like that together, they barely interacted before the war, so Alec was the perfect choice to train him. At first it was a few hours in the morning everyday, then it was from morning until afternoon, and quickly they were training all day. Alec said that Simon was a quick and dedicated learner, and his archery was improving by the second.

Then one night, Jace realised that he hadn't seen Alec at all that day, and he could not find him in the institute anywhere. He did not tell Magnus or Isabelle, because they would both panic. He quickly changed into his gear, grabbed his weapons and was about to leave the institute to find his parabatai when the blue eyed boy in question walked through the door, with Simon at his heels. They were laughing about something when Alec spotted Jace.

"Why are you in your hunting gear? Are you going out?" Alec asked and Jace avoided the question.

"Where have you been? I couldn't find either of you anywhere!" Jace exclaimed and Alec shrugged, Simon walked away from the two of them, heading in the direction of his bedroom, Jace presumes.

"We had a really long day of training, and we were both sore, so we decided to go to Taki's for something to eat" he shrugged and Jace felt his stomach drop, and narrowed his eyes at his best friend.

"You went to Taki's with Simon? Just the two of you?" Jace asked and Alec nodded.

"Neither of us are particularly good at cooking, and I would rather face a thousand greater demons than eat Isabelle's cooking. Don't tell her I said that" Jace decided that he would tell her. It wasn't out of spite, absolutely not, he just didn't like to keep secrets from his sister. Yes, that's why.

"You should have invited me, I'm starving" he said. Alec just shrugged his shoulders as a sorry and walked past him. Jace made a move to follow him but he heard Simon shout down the stairs.

"Alec, can we get another hour of training in for the night? Before I go to bed?" Simon shouted and Alec agreed. Jace told himself repeatedly that this did not bother him. And if he clutched at his parabatai rune whilst repressing his hatred for his girlfriend's best friend, then he decided to pretend that it never happened.

This became a regular routine. Alec and Simon would train, and then they would go out for something to eat together. Isabelle was delighted that they were getting along, her brother and her sort of boyfriend. Simon's memories were slowly coming back, and as they did, his relationship with Isabelle was improving. Clary was also happy; Simon had made a new friend in Alec and there was no awkward tension, Simon had someone to talk to if he needed to. Jace seemed to be the only one who disapproved of it.

"I just don't understand why they have to go out every night. Don't you think it's a bit selfish? They don't even invite the rest of us" Jace said, and Clary could tell that he was distracted as he was normally very strict in training. Today, he didn't even notice when her punches started getting sloppy.

"Jace! Simon needs to spend time with people who don't have any expectations. Isabelle and I, although we both try to be supportive, we are always waiting for him to remember, and that wears him down. Unless you want to switch with Alec and train Simon instead of me, be quiet and focus" Jace shook away his totally rational worries and paid attention to training Clary properly. He tried his hardest to concentrate, because Clary would kick a little too hard when he spaced out. She still had all that fire that he fell in love with.

"It's not my fault that you and Isabelle stare at him like he is going to start making geeky references no one understands at any second, so why am I the one suffering the consequences?!" Jace exclaimed, his frustration getting the better of him. Amidst his angsty platonic pining, he did not notice Clary's glare intensify or her cheeks redden. 

"How dare you! How can you be so selfish? Contrary to your belief, not everything is about you! Simon lost his memories! He lost everything that made him who he is and he has everyone waiting for the light hearted boy who makes geeky references to come back when we don't know if he ever will! His memories are coming back so slowly that I am starting to think that if all of his memories were going to come back, they would have already!" Jace stood, shocked into a paralytic state, as Clary unleashed her rage upon him.

"I have to look at my closest friend since childhood and deal with the fact that he has no idea who I am, that is years and years of love and dreams all shattered Jace! Now my boyfriend is acting like an obsessive child because someone else is playing with one of his toys! Have you even thought about Isabelle through all of this?! Simon barely remembers me and he remembers her even less! How can one person be so inconsiderate of not only their girlfriend's feelings but their sister's?!" the hot tears that were spilling down her cheeks made Jace want to curl in on himself. He made a move forward to console her, but Clary was on the warpath and showed no signs of slowing down.

"You may not miss the geeky Simon that he used to be but I do! You are my heart, Jace, but Simon is a part of me that even you cannot compare to and without it I have never felt so alone. So no, Jace Herondale, you are not the one suffering the consequences here!" Clary stormed away in all her glory and left Jace to stand staring at the door after she disappeared.

The next few days were unbearably tense, but Clary eventually approached Jace after the silent treatment was over and apologised for snapping at him and explained that she was just stressed over Simon. Jace then proceeded to apologise for being selfish and inconsiderate.

Things began to look up from then on. Simon's memories were rapidly returning, and his relationship with Isabelle was good. Clary and Simon became parabatai. Jace convinced Alec to train with him opposed to Simon a few times. Everything was fine, and Jace had successfully reclaimed his position as Alec's best friend, confidant, and general other half and told himself that Simon was never a threat to their bond anyway. Or so he thought.

Clary was spending the weekend with Jocelyn and Luke, they were expecting their first child together soon and she could not be more excited. Her absence drove Jace to seek out Alec. They could go hunting together, the two of them against the world. It was rare that they ever hunted alone. At first it was Isabelle, brave and relentless little Isabelle, who always insisted on coming along. Clary was even worse. But the times that they did go alone were some of Jace's most precious memories. The connection through their parabatai bond was never stronger than when they fought side by side. Jace took pride in the fact that Alec didn't trust anyone else enough to solely rely on them to have his back, but he wouldn't doubt Jace in a second. Isabelle would die for her brothers with no hesitation, but she was impulsive and impossible to predict. Jace was too, admitedly, but his bond with Alec made them so much more in synch. He knew where Alec was going to be and when, and how to move around him with the grace of a steady flowing river. They were two halves of the same soul, and there was no one in the world more equipped to protect Alec than him, just as there was no one in the world better to watch over Jace than Alec. 

"Isabelle, have you seen Alec?" Jace could search the institute for his brother, but he was far too impatient. He wanted to whisk Alec away into the dangerous corners of the city as soon as possible with no disruptions. Isabelle was clearly in no mood for hunting tonight, as she was wearing an awful, over sized t shirt with a gaming logo on the front and she was putting a great deal of effort into painting her toenails. 

"He's gone hunting with Simon. They went out about an hour ago, so they won't be home for a while. Did you need him for something important?" Isabelle asked but Jace had already barrelled out of the front door of the institute. His angelic speed has never been more useful that it was in that moment. The thought of Alec being out there, against God knows how many demons, with an amatuer shadowhunter as his only backup? It didn' sit right in Jace's stomach. Alec was one of the best fighters he had ever known, but he had to fight of the demons as well as protect Simon. He wasn't in tune with him like Jace was, Simon wouldn't know when to attack, when to dodge. Later, when Jace would look back on this moment, he would feel incredibly stupid. But seventeen year old Jace could only think about the fact that his parabatai, his brother, was basically alone against the demons roaming the streets and he should be there to protect him. 

Jace headed in the direction of Pandemonium and was comforted by the thought that Alec knew that club like the back of his hand. He knew the escape points like he knew to breathe. It was a small relief. 

The club was fuller than should be physically possible, and Jace cursed the fact that he could not see Alec's mop of black hair in the crowd. For someone so tall, he was so easy to lose. He circled and scoured every inch of the club until he was satisfied that Alec was not in the building. He checked the dancefloor, the bar, the bathrooms, the store room, the basement, and he ended up standing on the roof, trying to seek out Alec on the surrounding streets.

His phone was pinging constantly because he had an unseen message and in anger, he pulled it out to see texts from Isabelle. He didn't need this right now, he was trying to find Alec.

Alec.

That was the only word that Isabelle had sent and Jace felt sick to his stomach. Isabelle did not text like that, she put hearts and kisses, yet that one word was enough to send Jace flying through the air. He remembered, as he was falling onto the next roof, when Alec convinced him to jump out of the cage that the inquisitor had trapped him in. Alec had believed that he could do that, that he could be even more extraordinary than he ever believed. He made a mental note to thank Valentine if he ever saw him again for his little experiments on him when his mother was pregnant. His speed was pushed to the limit and he was a blur to everything below. 

Jace wasn't sure what he was expecting when he charged into the infirmary of the institute. Alec's cold and lifeless body, and Isabelle hunched over in hysterics like she was when Max-

But she wasn't. And Alec was not dead. It did not stop Jace from pushing both Isabelle and Simon out of his way as he stood next to Alec, who was laid on the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a hurried, desperate tone, and Jace Herondale never sounded desperate. Alec's face was bruised and bloody, and blood was spilling from his mouth. He had a deep gash on his shoulder, that Isabelle had drawn a healing rune over, and Jace could see bone popping out from his ankle. Alec was wincing in pain as Isabelle moved forward to apply another rune, but other than that, he seemed fine. 

"What happened?!" Jace roared as he turned on Simon. He was also covered in blood, with was looked like a broken nose and a sprained wrist, but he looked much better than Alec did, and this infuriated Jace.

"We were hunting, and we were doing really good. We both had a good share of demons to kill until we saw one demon dragging a girl, 12 maybe, into some abandoned dock. We didn't realise it was a trap. The cargo containers, they were swarming with demons and they all came pouring out, the girl was a shape shifter demon in disguise. Luckily they were pretty weak and disorganised and we managed to kill most of them but they just kept coming and one snuck up behind Alec..." Simon seemed to sense the anger pulsing inside of Jace but a pale hand came to rest on his shoulder, and Jace turned to face Alec.

"You should be thanking him, he saved my life. I didn't see that demon behind me, and it knocked me unconcious by throwing me against one of the containers. It probably would have eaten me had Simon not killed it and dragged me out of there" Alec said, grinning at Simon with bloody teeth, "whilst still fighting off a horde of demons might i add. You should be proud of yourself, Simon. I don't know any other shadowhunter who would do that" 

Jace wanted to magically produce a large cardboard arrow to point at himself and scream, 'Me! Me! I would do that!' but he didn't want to ruin the moment. 

"You saved my brother" Isabelle whispered before throwing herself into Simon's arms. They hugged for a very long time until Jace cleared his throat rather loudly.

"Can you please romantically embrace elsewhere? Alec needs his rest. I'll watch over you while you sleep" Jace said and sat in the chair next to the bed. Simon stepped forward to protest.

"I'll stay with him, brothers in arms, ya know? Besides, I have to stay and take care of him, I'm his Knight in shining armor" Jace internally debated whether beating Simon to a pulp would be worth losing Clary, and he decided against it. For now.

"Fine, but I'll come check on you in the morning and I'll call Magnus. He'd kill me if you had a papercut and he didn't know about it" Jace said, hesitating for a few seconds until he was sure that Alec was safe. The healing rune was already healing his shoulder and ankle. 

"I'll have the Silent Brothers come in the morning too, just to make sure that there was no poison" Alec wanted to argue with Isabelle that he did not need the Silent Brothers to check on him, but her expression was clear. She would not risk losing another brother, even over a wound that was healing on its own.

"Simon, can you go get me some water please? Jace, hang back for a sec?" Alec asked as Simon and Isabelle flitted from the room. Jace moved closer to the bed in concern.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, scrutinising every bruise on Alec's visible body as if that one bruise was the cause of his pain.

"Stop glaring at Simon with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. He's not replacing you, dumbass, he just needs a friend. Simon is a great friend, and a damn good fighter I have to admit, but he isn't the other half of my soul like you are. You're still my brother and there isn't a person on earth that I would put infront of you. Magnus, maybe. No offence" Alec said and Jace decided to ignore the smugness settling in his stomach. Jace won at a game Simon didn't even know he was playing.

"And don't get me wrong, Simon is actually pretty cool now. We talk about archery and reckless childhood friends, but I still don't like those geeky references he makes to mundane television" Alec said and proceeded to give an example, but Jace was not listening. He wore a grin like a cheshire cat and his ego inflated more than he ever thought possible. He won. Simon and Alec could go on as many Taki's night outings as they wanted because Jace would always win. Simon may end up replacing Jace as Alec's best friend but Jace was so much more than a friend or a brother, he was the other half of Alec's soul and nothing can ever really compete with that.


End file.
